I didn't see anything in the politics forum related to this, but it really ought to be stickied on the main homepage or something.

There are two bills in Congress, one in the House ("H.R.5889 The Orphan Works Act of 2008") and one in the Senate (S.2913 "The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008"), known informally as the Orphaned Works Bills. An "orphaned work" is a piece of intellectual property that is not being actively used even though it may be under copyright. The stated purpose of this legislation is to make it easier for scholars to "fair use" work for papers and research. But the real ramifications of this potential law would pretty much destroy artists' livelihood.

The short version is that if these bills pass, anyone could legally browse Fanart Central and use your artwork or make a derivative version of it without paying you for it. In fact, if someone got ahold of your PERSONAL SKETCHBOOK they could use THAT art as though they owned it.

If you're of voting age in the United States, LET YOUR CONGRESSPEOPLE KNOW that you OPPOSE this legislation. And then be prepared to fight future versions of this legislation, because there are powerful forces lobbying to get it passed.